Zhouyi BenyiSmall Image
The character 'correct' (正) is a superfluous interpolation, as shown by the rhyme scheme.
52. Keeping Still (Mountain) (艮)
Line 5
Modern reading
Six in the fifth place occupies the central station of the upper trigram, governing the jaws and speech with measured trustworthiness. The classical reading suggests that deliberate, sincere words tend to dissolve past grievances and allow regret to fade.
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I Ching / BaZi reading request (from eastalmanac.com). Page: Hexagram 52 艮 — Line 5. Interpret through classical principles in two layers: 1) Structural Evidence: identify key line dynamics, changing line pivot, or element balance. 2) Actionable Verdict: direct answer to the inquiry in plain language, followed by 2–3 concrete next steps (action-verb first) and mindful cautions. Grounded wisdom for self-reflection. Source page: https://eastalmanac.com/yijing/52/5
I Ching casting
Holding the balance of the upper mountain while transforming toward Hexagram 53, Six in the fifth place models stillness of the jaw. Traditional commentaries explain that when speech is restrained until truth is clear, past friction dissolves and mutual trust is restored.
Speaking with deliberate honesty rather than idle chatter earns enduring credibility.
Career
Navigating critical meetings or negotiations requires measured, precise communication where every statement carries genuine substance.
The Commentary on the Image links this posture to centrality and balance, showing that quiet authority commands far greater respect than rhetorical excess. Keeping your promises and avoiding premature announcements builds lasting trust with colleagues and partners.
Love & relationships
Conversations with a partner should prioritize clarity, warmth, and quiet consistency over grand but empty declarations. Classical wisdom notes that sincere, thoughtful communication has the power to heal lingering misunderstandings and rebuild emotional safety.
Expressing honest feelings with calm sincerity helps clear away past relationship tensions.
Wealth
Negotiating agreements or handling contract terms requires transparent, verified details rather than optimistic verbal projections. The traditional focus on trustworthiness indicates that reputation is your most valuable asset when securing financial arrangements.
Putting terms clearly in writing and keeping your commitments ensures smooth and sustainable transactions.
References
Original text
Line statement
5. The fifth line, divided, shows its subject keeping his jawbones at rest, so that his words are (all) orderly. Occasion for repentance will disappear.
Small Image
‘He keeps his cheek bones at rest:’—in harmony with his central position he acts correctly.
Classical commentary
Yichuan YizhuanLine statement
The fifth is the ruler's position, the master of Gèn, who masters the stopping of all under heaven. Yet with yin yielding talent, it is inadequate to fulfill this significance; hence stopping is described solely by taking the image of the jaws from its position above.
What humans ought to be cautious about and restrain are speech and conduct. The fifth line is above, hence it is described by the jaws; the jaws are where speech issues forth. Stopping at the jaws, words do not issue rashly and have order.
If words are uttered lightly without order, there will be regret; stopping them at the jaws, regret vanishes. 'Having order' means hitting the proper measure and having sequence.
Jaws, cheeks, and tongue are all where words originate, but the jaws are in the center; keeping still one's jaws means stopping in the center.
Yichuan YizhuanSmall Image
What is good about the fifth line is the center. Keeping still one's jaws means stopping in the center. It means taking attainment of the center as correctness; stopping at the jaws so as not to lose the center is how one attains correctness.
Zhouyi ZhuLine statement
Applying stopping to the jaws by dwelling in the center, the mouth utters no ill-chosen words and can cause regret to vanish.
Zhouyi ZhuSmall Image
Being able to employ central correctness, 'words have order.'
Zhouyi ZhengyiLine statement
The Correct Meaning states: The jaws are the cheekbones; one is able to stop at the jaws and cheeks. By dwelling in the center, 'the mouth utters no ill-chosen words.'
Words having proper order can cause regret to vanish; hence it says: 'Keeping still his jaws, his words have order, and regret vanishes.'
Zhouyi ZhengyiSmall Image
The Correct Meaning states: As for 'through central correctness,' although its position lacks correctness, by dwelling in the center it does not lose correctness; hence 'words have order.'